


Rolling with the Punches

by antigrav_vector



Series: CapIM bingo fills - 2015 [2]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Comics), Iron Man (Comic)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cap-Ironman Bingo, Comic Book Science, Comic Book Violence, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, First Kiss, Get Together, M/M, Nothing Hurts, Pre-Slash, Silver Age, Telepathy, The Author Regrets Nothing, all of the schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 00:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5688340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fighting on the Avengers' team is never routine. And this fight is no different...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rolling with the Punches

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to [morphia](http://archiveofourown.org/users/morphia/pseuds/morphia) for the quick beta read. :D
> 
> This fill is for the telepathy box on my bingo card.

The latest creature the Avengers were fighting to contain was... well, bizarre. Tony could really only describe it as an Atlantean mad scientist's pet project. Its lower half looked like a massive shrimp, and the upper half oddly like a praying mantis. Albeit one that could shoot beams of light from its forelegs.

They had yet to be able to work out just what those beams of light did, but they'd managed to avoid all of them so far.

"Keep at it, Shellhead," Steve called out over the comm. "Thor, see if you can make a chink in that thing's armour for us to exploit. Wasp, you and Antman are in charge of trying to find a way to communicate with it. Maybe it's enough like an insect to hear your helmet."

Tony heard the acknowledgments over the comms as he made another pass, trying to find a weak point in the thing's chitinous armour to blast away at and failing. Thor was darting back and forth, dodging the creature's attacks with grace and essentially pounding on it with his trusty hammer. As Tony dodged a hard right, he briefly spotted Jan and Hank, off to one side of the main battle. Steve was slashing at the creature's legs with his shield in an attempt to either distract or immobilise it before it could take it into its head to try to leave Central Park.

Naturally, that was the moment the mantis-shrimp-thing finally managed to anticipate his movements and bat him out of the air. He landed on the manicured lawn beneath him, and slid several yards, leaving behind a long gouge in the grass with his head, and rattling around in his armour.

"Shellhead!" Steve's voice made his ears ring. "Shellhead, answer me."

"Ow," he managed. "Tone it down a notch, Winghead."

He was just getting back to his feet with a groan when Steve jumped in front of him, shield raised. While he'd been lying on the ground, dazed, the creature had decided to go after him, as the easiest target. Steve's defensive movement was obviously an attempt to block whatever that beam of green light was from hitting him. 

Tony didn't put much thought into it. It was what they did. They had each others' backs. On and off the battlefield.

When the light went through the shield and Steve to hit him, he worried for a moment. It didn't seem to have done anything, so he shrugged it off and kept fighting. 

_Dodge left, throw._

That, on the other hand, might be a problem. Tony paused for just long enough to catch sight of Steve, catching his shield, before he refocused on the fight. He was going to have to resort to something with a bit more kick than the repulsors, if he wanted to get through this thing's shell..

 _Shellhead,_ he 'heard', _no suicide dives._

Right. So he wasn't making a dent with his usual weapons, and he was fairly sure he was hearing Steve in his head. Just great.

 _I heard that,_ Steve replied, and wound up his arm for another throw.

Well, we've figured out what the light beams do, Tony shot back.

"Cap," Jan interjected, "we think we've figured out what frequency to use to talk to it."

 _Good. Do it._ "Good. Do it," Steve replied.

Tony blinked and only barely dodged the creature's next swipe. It was just weird hearing Steve think and say the same thing instants apart. A bit like having the auditory equivalent of double vision. They needed to do something with that helmet pronto, or he'd be hit again, with this kind of distraction. "Now would be good, before I get swatted out of the air again!"

Thankfully, he was spared a repeat of the odd sensation. For the time being at least. 

_No kidding,_ Steve interjected. _You don't ever stop talking, do you._

"I thought you liked talking, Winghead," he replied over the comms. The rest of the team gave him strange looks. Tony shrugged them off. "Can we ask it politely to undo whatever that beam of light did?"

Antman shrugged and did something with his helmet that involved staring into the creature's eyes. A beat later he replied, "unfortunately no. It has no control over how long the effects last, either." Hank gave them a speculative look. "It also said that you would know what to do about the effects, and I have no idea what that means."

Tony groaned. Typical.

 _Yeah,_ Steve replied. _Looks like we're stuck with this for the time being._

Aloud, he said, "thanks, Antman. Did it come here because it wanted something?"

"It was apparently hungry, and didn't realise that the trees in Central Park weren't meant to be snacks," Hank shrugged. "Its usual feeding spot is grazed clean."

Jan giggled. "Poor thing. Tell it we're sorry for attacking, then. Think we can direct it up to the Catskills? There should be plenty for it to eat there."

Steve looked like he couldn't decide whether to laugh or pinch the bridge of his nose. _That'll never work._

Hank shook his head. "That's too far from water, Wasp."

Tony made a face. Looked like they'd have to ask Namor for a favour.

 _Looks like it, Shellhead._ Steve didn't show a hint of the resignation in his mental tone when he spoke. "Right. Thor, would you call Namor and see if he can come relocate our friend here? He seems to get along best with you."

"Very well," Thor nodded. "If Antman would instruct the creature to return to the shore with me, I shall keep it company."

They hung around long enough to make sure Namor actually showed up, then retired to the mansion. By the time they got there, Tony was really feeling his bruises and forcing himself to bite back a pained noise with each step he took. He really needed to carve some time out of his schedule to improve the force transduction elements in his armour, but at least he didn't have a concussion.

Steve have him a Look. _Don't even think about it._

Tony ignored the comment. "I'll be down in the workshop. Suit's a little banged up."

He got acknowledgments from the others. Steve silently followed him. Somehow that wasn't surprising.

"Tony," Steve grumbled, "you need medical attention." _I've seen the bruises you get from the armour._

"A few ice packs and a hot soak and I'll be right as rain, Cap," Tony shot back. "They're _bruises_. Nothing more."

And he wouldn't get them anymore once he managed to upgrade the armour. Tony tuned out Steve's reply, distracted by an interesting idea on just how to do that. He had those new superconducting coil magnet transistors he'd been meaning to test anyway. They had about the right amount of capacity for what he'd need.

"Shellhead," Steve tried again as Tony unlocked and opened the workshop door, "throwing science at me isn't going to distract me from the fact that you need to take care of your injuries."

"You worry too much, Winghead. Come help me with the armour and be useful." Tony crossed the room, limping a little when his suit's left ankle joint caught on each step, and opened a tool-chest almost as tall as he was. Steve caught glimpses of rows of neatly ordered and sorted wrenches, spanners, and screwdrivers, as Tony sorted quickly through the tools for what he needed. "Here," he offered Steve a crowbar, "see if you can get the chestplate off. The release is jammed."

With Steve helping it took far less time to remove the damaged armour than Tony was used to. He glanced at the pieces scattered across the workshop floor alongside the clods of dirt and grass Steve had picked out of the joints and made a face.

This was going to be hell to clean and fix, albeit no worse than the time Molecule Man had disintegrated his armour and only given him back the shell, sans electronics.

 _You can fix it later,_ Steve put in, firmly steering him back toward the workshop door and out of the room. _First you're going to treat those bruises and get some rest._

Tony snorted, amused. Did Cap plan to tuck him in, or something?

_If that's what it takes._

"Fine," Tony gave in. "Whatever makes you happy."

It wasn't like he was going to get what he wanted anyway. Tony pushed away the mental image of the kiss he knew he had no chance of ever getting, and pushed open his bedroom door.

He didn't realise for a moment that Steve had stopped in his tracks, a look of blank surprise on his face. When he did, and turned to ask what the holdup was, he hesitated. Tony wasn't sure if that little pause would be a good thing or a tactical error, but it was there.

Steve took advantage of it to step in close, and reel him in. _That would make you happy?_

Tony squeaked, surprised. "Winghead?"

"Last chance to say--"

Tony cut him off, threading his hand through the fine hair at the nape of Steve's neck and pulling him in that last centimeter or so for a kiss. _Like hell am I going to say no._


End file.
